Recent news

On 27 July, the World Bank approved $43m in grants to implement four new projects in Palestine.1 The projects will support private sector initiatives for job creation, recovery and reconstruction in Gaza, and service delivery and social protection of the most vulnerable. Figure 1: The Breakdown of Grants

According to preliminary estimates published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) in June 2017, real GDP1 in Palestine reached $1,999m in Q1 2017, an increase of 0.1% compared to the previous quarter and 0.7% compared to Q1 2016.2 In the West Bank, real GDP in Q1 2017 remained relatively unchanged from the previous quarter, while in Gaza, real GDP was up 0.3% from Q4 2016

On 4 May 2017, members of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) met in Brussels for their bi-annual meeting to review the Palestinian state building process and to discuss ways to support the Palestinian economy.1 The meeting was hosted by the EU High Representative Ms. Federica Mogherini and chaired by Norway’s Foreign Minister Mr. Børge Brende. Ahead of the meeting, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Office of the Quartet (OQ) and the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) submitted their bi-annual reports to the Committee. The AHLC is a 15-member committee2 that serves as the principal policy-level coordination mechanism for development assistance to the Palestinian people

On 22 February 2017, the Palestinian Government launched the “National Policy Agenda 2017-2022: Putting Citizens First” (NPA)1 , which together with the Government’s Sector and Cross-cutting Strategies,2 constitute Palestine’s fourth National Development Plan since 2008.

Latest labour force statistics published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on 13 February 2016 show a decline in unemployment during Q4 2016. The unemployment rate in Palestine dropped to 25.7% in Q4 2016 from 28.4% in Q3 2016 and 25.8% in Q4 2015.1 Following historical trends, the unemployment rate was significantly higher in Gaza (40.6%) than in the West Bank (16.9%) during Q4 2016.

In this month's issue:

The Prime Minister’s Office, in cooperation with the National Population Committee and the United Nations Population Fund, released on 10 December 2016 the “Palestine 2030 – Demographic Change: Opportunities for Development” report, which provides demographic projections up to 2050

The Palestinian Ministry of Finance announced on 29 December 2016, that all renewable energy equipment will be exempt from customs duties starting 1 January 2017

A shipment of Jordanian vegetables entered directly to the Palestinian market without the mediation of Israel for the first time on 29 December 2016

In December, the Al-Quds index increased by 1.43% from the previous month, reaching 530.16 points on the last day of trading in 2016